Pattern Review - Self Drafted: Lace Bustier

In late August, I had the pleasure of taking part in a "Sit and Sew" with Kenneth King and Susan Khalje. For this class, which is really more of a directed study at the feet of these two masters, I decided to make a beaded lace bustier to wear for singing gigs I have coming up. Grab a cup of coffee, this is a tome. Here, for your viewing pleasure, is the result!

Pattern Description: Tightly fitted bustier.

Sizing: Mine!

Fabric Used: French beaded and corded Chantilly lace for the overlay, silk duchesse satin for the underlay. Muslin for the backing. I bought the lace and duchesse satin from Lace Star in New York City. The muslin is from Gorgeous Fabrics. Silk habotai for the lining.

Needle/Notions Used: Size 70/10 universal for the machine sewing, Japanese handsewing needles that I purchased from Susan Khalje at the class, spiral steel boning, seam binding (for boning casing), 22 inch zipper, petersham ribbon, hook/eye, snap and waistband hook/eye.

Did it look like the photo or drawing when you got through? Ummmm....

How were the instructions? Sucked. Seriously. No - not seriously. There were no instructions. Self-drafted, don't ya know. You can see more about that in this post.

Construction Notes: Okay, where to begin? Let's go step by step...

The pattern
To start to pull this beast together, I got out my style tape and taped the style lines on my dress form (pictures tomorrow). Then I pinned muslin to the form and used a pencil to trace the lines. Because this is a standard princess line garment, it had 8 pieces: back (*2), front (*2), side front (*2) and side back (*2). Originally I thought I would have a CB zipper, but Susan and Kenneth recommended a side zip. So I changed the CB seam to a CB fold and ended up with 7 pieces. You can see all the final pieces here:


Fitting
This is a close fitting pattern. I put it on and Susan started working on it. You can't fit a pattern like this by yourself; you really need someone else - preferably someone who knows what they are doing. The first thing Susan did was pinch a dart right at the bust in the two front pieces, starting at center front and tapering out to the side-front seam. This eliminates the "uniboob" look that you sometimes get with this kind of design. You can see the pattern pieces above, and here is the sewn dart in the garment


Because I want it for singing, I had originally designed it with a couple of inches of ease through the torso and waist (singers breathe in their lower torso, not up in the shoulder area, so you want some room). Susan pinched out a bunch of that ease. When I protested, she said, "Well, I'll give you the side seams, but I want the front." The next day, I put on a muslin to have her check the fit. She was doing a demonstration, so while we were watching, Kenneth walked over to me and looked at me in the muslin. Without saying a word, he started pinching, pinning, and generally eliminating all the ease I built in. Then he showed me where to slash the pattern, add an inch all around and put in a waist stay. Susan was very happy when she saw it. I forget what she said, but it was along the lines of "Oh good, Kenneth took out the ease!" I decided it was wise to capitulate. Susan marked up my pattern for boning.

Three muslins later, I was ready to create the backing and buy my fabric.

Buying the Fabric
Ka-ching! But can I tell you? Gowachuss! And I had Susan Khalje shopping for me! Pinch me I was dreaming. No, don't pinch me, I don't want to wake up. Susan Khalje, French lace, duchesse satin, and a credit card that couldn't say no. It was a once in a lifetime event.

Dem Bones Dem Bones
The next morning, I sewed the boning channels in the muslin backing, then I applied the muslin to the satin. At lunchtime, I took my boning requirements and went shopping. I needed 16 pieces of spiral steel boning in various lengths. The longest pieces, at the CF/SF seams, were 14 inches long.

Can I just tell you?

Was there a piece of 14 inch boning to be had anywhere on the Isle of Manhattan? No! Greenberg and Hammer? Nope. Sil Thread? Nope. Pacific Trims? Nope. Any other store between Penn Station and Central Park South? NO! There was 13 1/2 inch boning. There was 14 1/2 inch boning. There was 10 inch, 24 inch, 18 inch, 7 inch, 2 inch, but there was no frickin' 14 inch boning anywhere! I came back to the class in an utterly foul mood. I put as much of the boning in as I could, and Susan sent me two pieces of 14 inch boning as soon as she got home (thank you, Susan!)

Once all the boning was in, I tacked down the hems and seam allowances using a catchstitch to give a smooth line and to make applying the lining easier.

Applying the Lace
Here's another time when having an expert nearby makes your life so much easier. My biggest hurdle with this project was actually cutting into the lace. It's delicate, it's expensive, and even to someone who is afraid of next to nothing when it comes to sewing, it's intimidating. Susan and Kenneth eased my anxiety right away. Susan showed us all how to cut around lace motifs to make them blend together, and how to attach them.

Want to know one of my biggest revelations of this project? When applying the lace, you do it all in one piece! No cutting pattern pieces. Susan showed me how (this really takes two people, or you need to do it on a dress form). Because lace is so moldable, you simply drape it and pin it in strategic places to the backing so it doesn't gap or balloon away from the body. Susan placed the lace so one scalloped edge ran along the bottom of the bustier. More about the top of the bustier below. Once the lace was placed, I tacked it loosely to the backing to secure it. Here's some of the tacking from the wrong side.
The tacking is the dark green thread.

To finish the top edges of the bustier, I used the other scalloped edge of the lace. Once the body lace was applied, I cut off the scallops from the other selvage of the lace. One of the beautiful things about lace is that it's 90% air, so you can move it around, shape it and generally abuse it play with it all you like, and it takes to it beautifully. I took my time placing the scallops so the upper curves matched those on the bottom hem. I hand basted everything in place - have I mentioned that this is mostly hand sewn?

Once I had the scallops basted, then came another nerve-wracking part - removing beaded motifs from the lace. If you look at the picture of the bustier in this post you'll see that there are several beaded motifs that wrap over from the front to the back at the top hem. Those had to be fully or partially removed, otherwise you'd see beading poking through the lace, and it would have a kind of lumpy, unattractive effect. For the motifs where the beading continues below the scallops, I affixed the beads that were to stay by hand and carefully snipped the threads holding the beads to be removed. It was easy, but tedious work, so I did it while watching the Pats/Bills game (go Pats!)

After I removed the beads, I sewed the scallops in place using tiny hand stitches, I was careful only to attach the scallops to the lace, keeping the silk backing free. I tacked the scallops to the backing loosely at the top.

Inserting The Zipper
I hand-inserted the zipper using Susan Khalje's hand-picked zipper application.

I used a 22 inch closed-end zipper. More on that a little later...

The Lining
I really wanted to line this with silk crepe de chine, but I couldn't find any in the right colors, so I ended up getting some habotai. I used the pattern pieces from my muslin, and sewed it together. I finger pressed the top and side edges of the lining at the sewing lines and applied it by hand to the bustier using a fell stitch. It's a little hard to see, but here's a picture of it:


One side note about all the hand stitching. I used plain old Metrosene thread that I had run through beeswax and then ironed. That makes it easier to work with and gives it strength.

After attatching the lining at the top and zipper sides, I smoothed it over the curves and tacked it at the CF dart and the bust points. Then I smoothed it down toward the bottom, turned up the hem and finished stitching it.

Finishing Touches
Susan taught us a neat trick in class. When making a bustier, rather than using a separating zipper, use an extra long closed end zipper. Then apply a snap at the top of your lining by the zipper and to the bottom of the zipper. Once you're in the bustier, you can then snap the zipper tail, pulling the end of the zipper out of sight.

Snap

Before

After

On Kenneth's recommendation, I put a petersham ribbon waist stay in. You can see it in the picture above here. It's the ivory ribbon.

Likes/Dislikes: I love it! There was nothing to dislike about this project. It was a stretch for me, and it was my first foray in quite some time back into the world of couture-level sewing. I really enjoyed all the techniques I learned, and I loved meeting people, both old friends and new, in the class.

Would you do it again? Would you recommend it? I would make another lace bustier again now with no hesitation. Well, maybe my bank account would hesitate, but I really loved this project. And I loved, loved, LOVED the class, Susan, and Kenneth! I highly recommend it, and I recommend pushing yourself out of your comfort zone every once in a while.

Conclusion: A fun, challenging, rewarding project! Here are the finished garment pictures

Front
Zipper
Back
Side

Pattern Review - Self Drafted: Lace and Silk Bustier

In late August, I had the pleasure of taking part in a "Sit and Sew" with Kenneth King and Susan Khalje. For this class, which is really more of a directed study at the feet of these two masters, I decided to make a beaded lace bustier to wear for singing gigs I have coming up. Grab a cup of coffee, this is a tome. Here, for your viewing pleasure, is the result!

Pattern Description: Tightly fitted bustier.

Sizing: Mine!

Fabric Used: French beaded and corded Chantilly lace for the overlay, silk duchesse satin for the underlay. Muslin for the backing. I bought the lace and duchesse satin from Lace Star in New York City. The muslin is from Gorgeous Fabrics. Silk habotai for the lining.

Needle/Notions Used: Size 70/10 universal for the machine sewing, Japanese handsewing needles that I purchased from Susan Khalje at the class, spiral steel boning, seam binding (for boning casing), 22 inch zipper, petersham ribbon, hook/eye, snap and waistband hook/eye.

Did it look like the photo or drawing when you got through? Ummmm....

How were the instructions? Sucked. Seriously. No - not seriously. There were no instructions. Self-drafted, don't ya know. You can see more about that in this post.

Construction Notes: Okay, where to begin? Let's go step by step...

The pattern
To start to pull this beast together, I got out my style tape and taped the style lines on my dress form (pictures tomorrow). Then I pinned muslin to the form and used a pencil to trace the lines. Because this is a standard princess line garment, it had 8 pieces: back (*2), front (*2), side front (*2) and side back (*2). Originally I thought I would have a CB zipper, but Susan and Kenneth recommended a side zip. So I changed the CB seam to a CB fold and ended up with 7 pieces. You can see all the final pieces here:


Fitting
This is a close fitting pattern. I put it on and Susan started working on it. You can't fit a pattern like this by yourself; you really need someone else - preferably someone who knows what they are doing. The first thing Susan did was pinch a dart right at the bust in the two front pieces, starting at center front and tapering out to the side-front seam. This eliminates the "uniboob" look that you sometimes get with this kind of design. You can see the pattern pieces above, and here is the sewn dart in the garment


Because I want it for singing, I had originally designed it with a couple of inches of ease through the torso and waist (singers breathe in their lower torso, not up in the shoulder area, so you want some room). Susan pinched out a bunch of that ease. When I protested, she said, "Well, I'll give you the side seams, but I want the front." The next day, I put on a muslin to have her check the fit. She was doing a demonstration, so while we were watching, Kenneth walked over to me and looked at me in the muslin. Without saying a word, he started pinching, pinning, and generally eliminating all the ease I built in. Then he showed me where to slash the pattern, add an inch all around and put in a waist stay. Susan was very happy when she saw it. I forget what she said, but it was along the lines of "Oh good, Kenneth took out the ease!" I decided it was wise to capitulate. Susan marked up my pattern for boning.

Three muslins later, I was ready to create the backing and buy my fabric.

Buying the Fabric
Ka-ching! But can I tell you? Gowachuss! And I had Susan Khalje shopping for me! Pinch me I was dreaming. No, don't pinch me, I don't want to wake up. Susan Khalje, French lace, duchesse satin, and a credit card that couldn't say no. It was a once in a lifetime event.

Dem Bones Dem Bones
The next morning, I sewed the boning channels in the muslin backing, then I applied the muslin to the satin. At lunchtime, I took my boning requirements and went shopping. I needed 16 pieces of spiral steel boning in various lengths. The longest pieces, at the CF/SF seams, were 14 inches long.

Can I just tell you?

Was there a piece of 14 inch boning to be had anywhere on the Isle of Manhattan? No!. Greenberg and Hammer? Nope. Sil Thread? Nope. Pacific Trims? Nope. Any other store between Penn Station and Central Park South? NO! There was 13 1/2 inch boning. There was 14 1/2 inch boning. There was 10 inch, 24 inch, 18 inch, 7 inch, 2 inch, but there was no frickin' 14 inch boning anywhere! I came back to the class in an utterly foul mood. I put as much of the boning in as I could, and Susan sent me two pieces of 14 inch boning as soon as she got home (thank you, Susan!)

Once all the boning was in, I tacked down the hems and seam allowances using a catchstitch to give a smooth line and to make applying the lining easier.

Applying the Lace
Here's another time when having an expert nearby makes your life so much easier. My biggest hurdle with this project was actually cutting into the lace. It's delicate, it's expensive, and even to someone who is afraid of next to nothing when it comes to sewing, it's intimidating. Susan and Kenneth eased my anxiety right away. Susan showed us all how to cut around lace motifs to make them blend together, and how to attach them.

Want to know one of my biggest revelations of this project? When applying the lace, you do it all in one piece! No cutting pattern pieces. Susan showed me how (this really takes two people, or you need to do it on a dress form). Because lace is so moldable, you simply drape it and pin it in strategic places to the backing so it doesn't gap or balloon away from the body. Susan placed the lace so one scalloped edge ran along the bottom of the bustier. More about the top of the bustier below. Once the lace was placed, I tacked it loosely to the backing to secure it. Here's some of the tacking from the wrong side.
The tacking is the dark green thread.

To finish the top edges of the bustier, I used the other scalloped edge of the lace. Once the body lace was applied, I cut off the scallops from the other selvage of the lace. One of the beautiful things about lace is that it's 90% air, so you can move it around, shape it and generally abuse it play with it all you like, and it takes to it beautifully. I took my time placing the scallops so the upper curves matched those on the bottom hem. I hand basted everything in place - have I mentioned that this is mostly hand sewn?

Once I had the scallops basted, then came another nerve-wracking part - removing beaded motifs from the lace. If you look at the picture of the bustier in this post you'll see that there are several beaded motifs that wrap over from the front to the back at the top hem. Those had to be fully or partially removed, otherwise you'd see beading poking through the lace, and it would have a kind of lumpy, unattractive effect. For the motifs where the beading continues below the scallops, I affixed the beads that were to stay by hand and carefully snipped the threads holding the beads to be removed. It was easy, but tedious work, so I did it while watching the Pats/Bills game (go Pats!)

After I removed the beads, I sewed the scallops in place using tiny hand stitches, I was careful only to attach the scallops to the lace, keeping the silk backing free. I tacked the scallops to the backing loosely at the top.

Inserting The Zipper
I hand-inserted the zipper using Susan Khalje's hand-picked zipper application.

I used a 22 inch closed-end zipper. More on that a little later...

The Lining
I really wanted to line this with silk crepe de chine, but I couldn't find any in the right colors, so I ended up getting some habotai. I used the pattern pieces from my muslin, and sewed it together. I finger pressed the top and side edges of the lining at the sewing lines and applied it by hand to the bustier using a fell stitch. It's a little hard to see, but here's a picture of it:


One side note about all the hand stitching. I used plain old Metrosene thread that I had run through beeswax and then ironed. That makes it easier to work with and gives it strength.

After attatching the lining at the top and zipper sides, I smoothed it over the curves and tacked it at the CF dart and the bust points. Then I smoothed it down toward the bottom, turned up the hem and finished stitching it.

Finishing Touches
Susan taught us a neat trick in class. When making a bustier, rather than using a separating zipper, use an extra long closed end zipper. Then apply a snap at the top of your lining by the zipper and to the bottom of the zipper. Once you're in the bustier, you can then snap the zipper tail, pulling the end of the zipper out of sight.

Snap

Before

After

On Kenneth's recommendation, I put a petersham ribbon waist stay in. You can see it in the picture above here. It's the ivory ribbon.

Likes/Dislikes: I love it! There was nothing to dislike about this project. It was a stretch for me, and it was my first foray in quite some time back into the world of couture-level sewing. I really enjoyed all the techniques I learned, and I loved meeting people, both old friends and new, in the class.

Would you do it again? Would you recommend it? I would make another lace bustier again now with no hesitation. Well, maybe my bank account would hesitate, but I really loved this project. And I loved, loved, LOVED the class, Susan, and Kenneth! I highly recommend it, and I recommend pushing yourself out of your comfort zone every once in a while.

Conclusion: A fun, challenging, rewarding project! Here are the finished garment pictures

Front
Zipper
Back
Side

Sit and Sew with Susan Khalje and Kenneth King

Where to begin??? This was one of the best sewing excursions I've ever done. It was four days of sheer sewing bliss, punctuated by fun, adventure and frustration at the fact that there is no f***ing 14 inch spiral steel boning to be had on the island of Manhattan! But I digress

The class is taught by Susan Khalje and Kenneth King. "Class" is a bit of a misnomer. It's more of a directed study. Students bring whatever projects they want to work on, and Kenneth and Susan help with all aspects of the project. Some of the projects included a Chanel style jacket (Kristine), a guipure lace skirt (Joanne), a strapless boned semiformal dress (Meg), pants, gowns, slopers, and lots of others. I'm telling you - it's four days of sewing heaven! Oh yeah. The company is pretty good too.

If you read my blog earlier this month, you may know that I was out of commission for the first two weeks of August thanks to a bout of pneumonia. This had a two-pronged effect. First, it got me some reactions of, "You're taking another week away from business???" Yes - it was paid for months ago. The pneumonia was an afterthought. Second, it meant that I, notorious procrastinator that I am, lost two weeks of doing nothing on my muslin and/or plans for my project. I lost my Marfy muslin, too, but that's another story.

So I decided to go back to my original idea and make a lace bustier. I draped the pattern for the bustier on a dress form and I tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to adjust it on me. I figured Susan and Kenneth could help me with it, so I wasn't too rattled by my inability to get it well fitted beforehand. Kristine pegged it when she said, "Don't expect to walk away with many finished garments, as this class is all about quality, not quantity." You can see from my last post that I came home with my bustier about half done. But the things I learned from Susan and Kenneth gave me the tools to tread where I never would have before. I'm almost to the point where I'll insert the zipper and then I will do the lining, add the waist stay and then, I'll have me one spectacular bustier to wear to singing gigs! I'll do some blog posts all about the construction, no worries. But right now, check out some pictures from the class!

Each day started with a hands on lesson or a show and tell, and there were several breaks where Susan and Kenneth would demonstrate techniques. Here's Kenneth showing off his broadtail coat:
Susan is next to him on the right. Here is a closeup of the broadtail/leather join, with his hand leatherwork. Fab-u-luss!

Susan and Kenneth worked with each student, and they were incredibly generous with their time and talent. Susan took me shopping for my lace and silk. How fabulous is that? Here she is working with Ellen, who was making a concert dress (she's a violist).
Kenneth also brought in a Chado Ralph Rucci jacket that he bought at a flea market!!! I want to go flea market shopping with that man.
Here's a detail from the jacket.
There are so many more things to say and show, but I don't have time right now. I'll post more progress and photos as the bustier comes together. I'm saving my pennies to try to go again next year. If you have the opportunity to work with either of these two wonderful teachers, don't hesitate - do it!

Happy sewing!

Where the Bustier Stands

On it's own two feet, if it so chooses! This baby is seriously boned. There are 15 boning channels in all for support. When I got home, I sat down and tacked all the seam allowances down. This not only gives a clean line to the inside of the bustier, but it makes it easier to do the other work needed to complete the outer shell. Last night I spent a lot of time tacking the lace to the foundation. Susan placed pins in the lace at the places to tack. You can see them here:

These are where you put thread tacks to hold the lace against the foundation. It insures that the lace doesn't gap away from the body. Here's the inside after I put some of the tacks in
I have a long way to go to finish, but I'd say it's about half done right now. Tonight I will attach the scallops to the top, and maybe insert the zipper if I have time and I'm not too tired.

No picture for the parting shot, but the kids are now back in school. Woo hoo! Snoopy dance time in my town!

Happy sewing!

What Goes With It?

There are a couple of questions that come up frequently regarding my bustier. The second most popular question is, "Where are you going to wear it?"

The answer is simple - parent/teacher conferences of course!
No seriously, I have a couple of recitals coming up, so it's part of the outfit that I'll wear.

Which brings us to the question that seems to come up most often, which is, "What are you making to go with it?" The answer to that one is a skirt. I haven't decided what style skirt yet, but I did buy the fabric - iridescent silk chiffon in bronze/green that perfectly matches the colors in the bustier. Here you can see it pinned on Shelley

I'll probably do either a 6 gore skirt or an a-line. I'll do it in 3 layers of the chiffon. I may do a simple knit top first, though, to clear the cobwebs.

In the meantime, speaking of fabrics, I put a bunch of pieces of cut yardage up for a "Yard Sale" at Gorgeous Fabrics. A lot of them already are gone! But there are some great bargains at between 35% and 50% off. All are in perfect condition. They are sold by the piece, not by the yard. So go have a look and have fun!

Happy sewing!

Where the Hell Did I Put That Muslin?

Well this is just starting to tick me off. I have a complete Marfy muslin traced and cut out for a really cool jacket. I have proof! See? There it is, along with this post from May


If I can't find the damned thing, I'm going to punt and make my bustier. I already have the pattern drafted for it. Knowing my luck I'll put the muslin for the bustier together then I'll find the jacket muslin.

Wish me luck!

Quick Tip - Right Side of Knits

While I'm finishing the bustier - if all goes as planned (hah!) I'll get it done later this week or weekend - here's a little tip for folks who may be new to working with knits. It's also a reminder to those of us like me who have those "doh" moments when we start sewing before the first cup of coffee kicks in (yes, voice of experience speaking here).

Knit fabrics have a right side (or "face") and a wrong side. Even those that look like they don't, like solid rayon jerseys before I put my glasses on in the morning. To find the right side of your fabric, simply give a good tug at the top along the crosswise grain. The fabric will roll towards the right side. It's an easy and quick way to make sure your knits look the way you want them.

Happy sewing!

If I Tweet, Does that Make Me a Twit?

So, here's the "only in the aughts" experience of the day. I have a Twitter account. I set it up months ago for an event I went to. IIRC, it was for the Project Runway finale fashion show, but I'm not positive.

Well...

I haven't used it since then, but I get notices on about a weekly basis that someone or another is following me now on Twitter. That's great! Go for it. If Verizon ever supports the iPhone I'll trade in my 3 year old, duct-taped LG and start Twittering to my heart's content. But for now, whenever I see a notification that I have a new Twitter follower (big shout out to my latest Twitter peep, Vivenne Tam), I feel like I'm letting folks down. I blog, I Facebook. Does anyone really want me to Twitter as well? When would I have time to sew? Oy.

In the meantime, I took a break from the bustier today. Susan is sending me some boning, and I put a huge (almost everything) sale up on Gorgeous Fabrics today. Tomorrow I hope I'll be able to get more done on it. I hope to sew the scallops on the top and insert the zipper. Then once the boning arrives I'll put that in, make the lining and hand insert it and... wow - I think I see the light in this tunnel, and it's not an oncoming train!

Happy sewing!

Finally Back in the Land of the Living

Oy, I say, oy! I have never been that sick for that long, and I hope I never am again. Thank God for Zithromax.

So what have I been doing? Nothing. Nada. Zip. I do have most of another (one last) summer dress cut out. It's the same Simplicity pattern that I made my maxi-dress from:

This time I don't have enough fabric to make it long, so I'll make the knee-length version.

Oh! We finally got the air date for DS' episode of "Dancing Tweens". September 15th at 10PM. It'll be interesting.

I'm also starting to prep for a class I'm taking next week. I think I'm going to make a bustier, but I'm still not entirely decided. I need to decide today because I have to have the muslin ready to go next Wednesday.

I ordered a new book for my library. I just got it yesterday and tonight I'll start poring over it, Building Patterns - The Architecture of Women's Clothing by Suzy Furrer


So far it looks really interesting, and unlike some other pattern drafting books I own, it looks quite useful and usable. Review to come later!

I chopped my hair all off this past weekend. I love doing that. I feel like, in addition to losing 6 lbs from the pneumonia, I lost another 10 when I got rid of my hair. It's always a surprise to my family when I do that. One time, when I first went from blonde to red, I never told my DH that I was planning to, so he walked right by me without recognizing me at a restaurant! I'm contemplating changing the color again. We'll see.

I am overdue on posting a review of a biography of Laura Ashley. That will come soon too. Stay tuned, much more later. God, it's good to feel human again!

Happy sewing!

Pattern Review - Simplicity 2603 Tank Top

Pattern Description: The ubiquitous "cardi wrap" pattern - Sleeveless top and cardigan jacket. I made the tank top.

Sizing: XXS-XL. I made a small.

Fabric Used: Birds of a Feather Jersey from Gorgeous Fabrics.

It's long since sold out, but there's a cute story that goes along with this fabric. I had fallen in love with it myself, so before I put it up on the site, I cut three yards with the idea of making a dress. This fabric sold like gangbusters. I think I sold out of it in one day. After it was gone, one customer called and emailed me that she was heartbroken. She wanted it so badly, she asked if I could call her if any more showed up. Well, it became a choice of "Do I keep it for myself or do I sell it to this nice lady?" I told her I had one piece left that was sitting in my private stash. She was so happy! She only needed 2 yards, so I cut that and (crying inside) sent it out to her. The fabric sat in my stash until last week, when I decided to try it for this pattern.

Needle/Notions Used: Stretch 75/11 needle, ProTricot fusible interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply.

Did it look like the photo or drawing when you got through? Yes

How were the instructions? Bear with me for a moment, I'm going to rant. What is with the large pattern companies and their fekakte instructions??? Seriously. Here's the way they have you attach the collar band:

1. apply interfacing to neck band front and back
2. stitch interfaced front/back sections together
3. attach interfaced neck band to garment
4. stitch uninterfaced neck band sections together to make the facing
   
5. Finish edge of facing
6. pin band facing to neck band. Sew and understitch
7. Turn facing to inside, press
   
8. Working from the right side of garment, pin raw edge of facing over the neckline seam
9. Top stitch

No no NO! Come on, people! (This is to the pattern companies, not you, dear reader) Get your instructions out of the 1970s. No one in RTW attaches a collar that way. For pete's sake, you sew the facing to the collar band, baste them together at the raw edge and sew or serge that that to the garment. It takes less time and gives you a cleaner finish with less chance of messing up. Sorry - can you tell I've had it up to my eyeballs with bad pattern instructions? This is why I almost never use them. And I'm sick to death of having to correct and apologize for them in classes. Grrrr....

Here's a picture of the neck band the way I attach it.

Construction Notes: I did a FBA. Other than the change noted above, I didn't do anything special. I serged all the seams and used a narrow zigzag stitch (.5 mm wide, 3.0 mm long) to sew the hems.

Any changes? Nope

Likes/Dislikes: I like the bra-friendly straps. They are nice and wide. I like the lines of this top. I'm debating about making the cardigan. It's so common these days on sewing sites, I don't know if I want to do that or something different. I have a wonderful pleated silk jersey in a matching turquoise that has been gracefully aging in my stash that I want to use to make a coordinating topper for this. I'll think about it and let you know what I decide.

Would you do it again? Would you recommend it? Probably and maybe. Like I say, I really dislike the instructions, but I like the bones of this top.

Conclusion: A good basic for your wardrobe. Here's a picture of the finished version.
Next up I think is the skirt to go with my bustier.

Happy sewing!

Phew!

Globe Staff Photo / Jim Davis

Oh man, that was a total gut wrencher last night, wasn't it? Ugly football all the way. But for anyone who follows Patriots football, with the exception of the 2007-2008 season (and even then) they always played ugly football. Good on the Bills, who put up a fantastic first half. And here's hoping Jerrod Mayo comes back soon and healthy with that knee.

On the sewing front, I'll have lots of pictures today of the bustier. It's all done except for the lining and the waist stay, Those will both be in later and I'll have finished my first couture lace garment. Stay tuned.

Happy sewing!

Two of My Favorite Posts

I am between projects right now. Susan Khalje is coming to town to teach her Couture Sewing Class next week at my studio, so I think I'll revive the skirt to go with my bustier and try to work on that while she's here. Of course, I also have to continue to work and go for radiation treatments (more on that further down) while she's here, so I think next week will not be the most relaxing for me. Oh yeah, and I'm single parenting this weekend. Oh well, it's always something, isn't it?

Anyway, I haven't had a ton to post about this week, but I got to thinking. I had asked readers of this blog what their favorite post is, and the winner of that highly unscientific poll was Cancer Chemo and What I Wore Part 4. While I like that one, and I'm proud of the post, I actually have two posts that I like better. From a day-to-day usefulness perspective, the two that I think are the best are:

The Right Bra Makes All the Difference

and its sequel,

More on Bra Fitting - Bring a Tape Measure

Whenever I work with students or the occasional private client, one of the first things we talk about is fit in the bust area. Different bras give different results in fit, and I think it's always good to remind yourself to check the fit of your bra. The general rule of thumb is that a good bra will last 1-2 years, depending on how you care for it. I hand wash and hang dry all my bras. It preserves the shape and extends the life. I advise strongly against washing bras in the washing machine, even in one of those lingerie bags. The agitation does bad things to bras. And face it - bras are expensive, so its worth the slight extra time it takes to hand wash them. I use shampoo on mine. It works just fine.

I Study Nuclear Science/I Love My Classes...
Last week I started radiation treatments. I've been mentally prepped for this since I was first diagnosed, so they don't scare me. The only major hassle with them is that, instead of 6 hours every third week, which was what I spent at chemo, I go Monday through Friday for 10 minutes per day. That includes the amount of time it takes to get changed out of street clothes, set up, zapped, changed back into street clothes, and out the door. If you are ever looking down the gullet of 6 weeks of radiation treatments, do yourself a favor. Try to go to a location that is convenient for you. I know it's not possible for everyone, but it does make life that much less stressful.

Parting Shot - Pincushion!

Speaking of Susan Khalje, did you know she sells the most fabulous notions on her website? This wrist pincushion from France is one. This is the BEST pincushion I've ever used! I love it because it's big, and because the bracelet is made of metal. So unlike wrist pincushions that have velcro fasteners, it won't snag your shirt or whatever fabric you happen to be working with. I highly recommend this. NAYY, of course. Oh, and her pistolet French curve is the best for patternmaking!

Happy sewing!

Progress Thus Far

I've been working on the bustier, but I'm waiting to get my final two pieces of boning before I can really finish it off. I did cut out my lining today. I wanted to line it with silk crepe de chine, but I couldn't find the right color, so I decided to use silk habotai. As you can see, I used the muslin for my pattern. I'll use dressmakers' carbon to trace the stitching lines on it tomorrow, and I'll sew it up. Then hopefully I'll have the boning from Susan early next week and I'll be all set to finish this.

I've spent the last several days reorganizing my office and studio/classroom in preparation for a really exciting event! I'll tell you all about it when the plans are finalized. It's going to be great. Keep an eye out here!

Speaking of exciting, you still have 2 more days (through Tuesday) to take advantage of the Labor Day sale at Gorgeous Fabrics. Almost every fabric is on sale for at least 15% off, and a big selection of fabrics are 25% off!

One last thing - if you get Womens Wear Daily, check out page 2 of Thursday's edition (September 3). Cotton Inc. takes the gloves off. Wow!

Happy sewing!

It IS a Woman's Perogative to Change Her Mind

Yes, I said I was going to make a jacket. No, I still haven't found that damned muslin. So on Monday of last week I grabbed my dress form that is closest to my current measurements and started draping a bustier. On Tuesday during lunch, I basted it and then tried it on and tried (hah!) to do some fitting on me. After 20 minutes of futility, I decided that I would wait until the class. I'm glad I did. I'll talk all about the process later, but here's the project in its almost current state:


The lace is a corded, beaded French lace. The underlay is silk duchesse satin. The backing of the underlay is muslin. So far the toughest part was actually cutting the lace. But it's coming together and will be a spectacular outfit for my next singing recital. Good thing I don't have a date yet. I need to get this baby (and the accompanying silk chiffon skirt) finished first. More later...

Happy sewing!

Happy New Year!

I can't say I'll be terribly sorry to bid adieu to 2009. It was a wildly uneven year. From great highs to great lows, and lots of stuff in between. But it ended on a high note, in more ways than one!

From a sewing perspective, I sewed a LOT of things. Some of my favorites from the year include: (each link opens in a new window)
Burda Hoodie
Hotpatterns Uptown Downtown Dress
My Susan Khalje Bustier
McCalls 5287 Shirtdress
Simplicity 3503 Boho Maxi Dress, that I wore for DS the Younger's TV appearance
Burda 9812 Pants for DS the Second
Burda Spring Coat
Embroidered Spring Skirt
And of course, Tatitana's Dresses.

There were some incredible moments. I met some wonderful new sewing friends. I hosted a Sit and Sew with Susan Khalje. Gorgeous Fabrics is going strong. I celebrated my half-life wedding anniversary, and my family and friends are just wonderful and supportive.

Yes, there's been one major bump in that road. It sucks, but I'll get past it (keep me in your thoughts on January 5th, please). And of course, it's been painful dealing with this economy. But chin up! We're all going to come through this okay, and perhaps a little wiser!

Parting Shot: Alta

If you have never been there, go! Utah is one of my favorite places in the world. And Alta is one of my favorite places in Utah.

I hope you and yours have a wonderful New Year. May 2010 bring you health, happiness and prosperity in whatever way you define it.

Pattern Review - Vogue 1087 Dress by Donna Karan

Grrrrrrrrr......


Pattern Description: From Vogue's website, "Fitted dress, below mid-knee, has pleated and tucked front forming wrap effect. Front extends to back at sides, back has zipper and hemline vent. No side seams."

Sizing: 4 to 18. I made a straight 14

Fabric Used: Shimmer Fleurs Jersey from Gorgeous Fabrics. This is one of those fabrics that actually looks so much better made up than it does on the bolt.


Needle/Notions Used: Stretch 75/11. Thread, stretch tricot interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply, Steam-a-Seam.

Did it look like the photo or drawing when you got through? Yes, but not thanks to Vogue's instructions.

How were the instructions? They sucked. Seriously - a monkey with a typewriter could probably do as good or better a job on the instructions. I can count on three fingers the patterns whose instructions were so frustrating that they made me want to burn them. This is one of the three. I saw a review where the reviewer said this was great for advanced sewists. Then the reviewer went on to state that she had to reread the directions several times and still wasn't able to figure it out, and she had to do all sorts of machinations to figure out the construction. So did I. Sorry - that's not great for any sewist. I've put together some seriously challenging Vogue patterns (read, Issey Miyake) without problems, so I think this is really a deficiency on Vogue's part. I need to put a little space between myself and this pattern for a while, then I may come back with a how-to.

The instructions have you leave several parts unfinished - all the seams, the bodice front piece and all of the hems on the armholes and drapes - they don't even tell you to turn the hem allowance under. I have made sample pieces now for a half dozen designers. I can tell you, if I did the finishing on my samples the way the instructions tell you to in this pattern I would get laughed out of the room. Pardon me for going on, but it's just so irksome. These instructions are a recipe for Becky-Home-Ecky all the way.

Okay, let me go on to other things before I raise my blood pressure.

Construction Notes: I used a narrow zigzag for the seams (.5 mm wide, 2.5 mm long). I used Steam-a-Seam to do the hem (I was sick to death of it by this point, so I just wanted to have it done).

Any changes? I made a straight 14 and there are a few things that I need to change to make it fit properly. Believe it or not, I don't need an FBA on this. I suspect that Vogue may have used Donna Karan's sloper for this pattern, and she tends to draft for bustier women. Plus, the draping is more forgiving to a larger bust. The back, though, is huge and gaps at the neck. I don't generally need to take in the back on my garments, but I need to adjust the fit on this one. I think I could have started with a 12 and tapered out to a 14 at the side seams with no problems.

Likes/Dislikes: I do like the draping on this. I love the way this looks in this fabric. The garment can hide a multitude of sins, thanks to the drape. I like what my friend Camille calls "the fish gills". The back darts are actually sewn on the right side of the fabric. Here you can see a closeup.
I also like the fact that it makes the wearer (that would be me) look like I have a well-defined waist. You already know what I don't like about it.

Would you do it again? Would you recommend it? I'm not sure I would do it again. Phyllis and I were talking about it today, and she opined, "You know, it's probably one of those things at this point where you'll wear it once or twice and that will be it." I suspect she is right. Before I can wear it, though, I need to fix the back neckline on me.

Would I recommend it? Not to my worst enemy's cat. It's really a pity, too.

Conclusion: They're writing songs of love, but not for this. Here's the dress on Shelley:
Edited to add - This dress looks fantastic on, sorry if I implied that it didn't. It just needs some adjusting in the the back so it doesn't gap at the neck. I'll probably get DH to take a picture of me in it this Sunday.

Parting Shots
You remember that a tree demolished our shed in December? Well this weekend the snow finally melted enough and we rented a dumpster to take it down. Well, "we" means DH and neighbors. Demolition breaks fingernails, so I left it to the boys. Here are a couple of pictures.

Fortunately, Hoover has enough sense to stay clear.

Give a man a sledgehammer....

Next up, I think I want to make a fabulous jacket with some bouclé I bought (sorry, this one was for me, not the site) when I was in New York last. Happy sewing!

Winter Patterns from Various Companies

I'm between projects, and I don't want to start in on the window seat cushion until Monday when I have some time to devote to it, so I started scanning the pattern company websites for inspiration, and I came across a couple that caught my eye.

Kwik Sew
I'm not a huge fan of Kwik Sew. They're okay, but I find the designs to be kind of 'meh'. But this dress, 3472:
struck me as a winner. It's a classic style that you will have for years. I would make it from a lightweight wool jersey or even better, silk jersey. They recommend matte jersey for it, and while I really like matte jersey for some things, I think the weight of the skirt would pull the whole thing down without a lot of internal structure. And that would defeat the purpose.

This pattern, 3474:


looks really, really boring in the drawing. But the picture of the blouse on the model is compelling. I would definitely Laura-Bennett this up, using a stretch silk in black for the body of the blouse and a white silk gazar or faille for the ruffled collar. I haven't seen the pattern yet, so I can't say for sure, but judging from these pictures, I might also make the ruffle more dense to really play it up.

3463:
Aaaauuuugggghhhhh! Bad Pat Benatar flashback!

Seriously, I considered leggings for about, oh, one minute. Then November came to Boston, and any thought of leaving my ankles facing the elements disappeared like the last fleeting days of Indian Summer. Just say no!

Butterick
Butterick is another pattern company that doesn't really do a lot for me. Though I will admit that they have good basics. This dress, 4914:
is versatile. You can make this from a silk for evening or a jersey for day, and put a jacket over it for work. Yes, it's like something you can find at Macy's. But it's also like something you can find at Neiman Marcus - it depends on your fabrication. Have some fun with it. That's why you sew, isn't it?

This pattern, 4920: has some interesting possibilities. I'm not sure if I like the dress, though I will sleep on it before I make a decision. It's the kind of thing that can grow on me. I do like the top, but I would put sleeves on it and wear it over skinny jeans.

This season, they also added some pretty cool vintage patterns. This one, 4918:

Is really lovely. They recommend shantung, taffeta and satin. I would add silk gazar, or even a double layered skirt with something with good body underneath and chiffon or silk tulle on top. Think Christian Dior's New Look:
I recommend making an inner corselet to hold it up, otherwise it will too easily slide down and you'll be doing the pull-up every time you move or dance. Kenneth King's Birth of a Bustier and Susan Khalje's Bridal Couture both have excellent instructions.

I am really drawn to this pattern, 4819:

But I have to ask - is it me, or does the illustration look like the model is checking for, um, well, let's be blunt, body odor? Anyone here ever see "A Fish Called Wanda"? Remember how Otto would always smell his armpit before attempting to kill someone? Yah, that's what I mean.

Well, that's what I think for the evening. It's time to call it a weekend and watch "Dr. Who" with the kids.

Happy sewing!